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If you are constantly getting disconnected from ExpressVPN, follow the steps below to resolve the issue.

VPN disconnection problems may have to do with your device, operating system, or connection type. For the quickest resolution, contact the ExpressVPN Support Team.

Preliminary check: ExpressVPN works best when not used in conjunction with VPN apps from other VPN providers. If you have other VPN apps open, disconnect and close them before you proceed with these troubleshooting steps.

Troubleshooting steps

After each step, check if the problem is resolved.

You can also contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

  1. Download the latest version of ExpressVPN
  2. Connect to another ExpressVPN server location
  3. Change your VPN protocol
  4. Disable battery saving (Android only)
  5. Check your firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware program

1. Download the latest version of ExpressVPN

To download the latest version of ExpressVPN:

  1. Quit the ExpressVPN app.
  2. Uninstall your app.
  3. Install and set up your ExpressVPN app

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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2. Connect to another ExpressVPN server location

Try connecting to a different ExpressVPN server location.

Connect to a different server location for…

If you are connecting via manual configuration, select a different ExpressVPN configuration file or server address to connect to a different server location.

If this resolves the issue, the problem is with the server location you originally tried to connect to.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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3. Change your VPN protocol

VPN protocols are the methods by which your device connects to a VPN server.

For the best experience, ExpressVPN recommends using the Automatic protocol option, which is selected by default.

If you are unable to connect to ExpressVPN with the Automatic protocol, we recommend that you can try the other protocols listed in the following order (if available):

  1. Lightway
  2. OpenVPN – TCP
  3. OpenVPN – UDP
  4. IKEv2
  5. L2TP/IPsec

Note: L2TP/IPsec provides weak security benefits and should only be used for anonymization or for changing locations. ExpressVPN does not recommend using L2TP/IPsec unless absolutely necessary.

How to change the protocol for the…

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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4. Disable battery saving (Android only)

If you are experiencing the following issues with ExpressVPN for Android, the troubleshooting steps in this section might help:

  • unexpected VPN disconnections
  • failure to connect automatically on device startup (even if Connect on Android startup is enabled)

To resolve these issues, try disabling battery saving for the ExpressVPN app.

For Samsung devices:

  1. Go to Settings > Apps > ExpressVPN > Battery > Optimize battery usage.
  2. Toggle power saving for ExpressVPN off.

For OnePlus devices (7T):

  1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Special App Access > Battery Optimization.
  2. Disable power saving for ExpressVPN.

Alternatively:

  1. Go to Phone Settings > Battery > Battery optimization.
  2. Switch to the All apps list. From the dropdown at the top, tap ExpressVPN > Don’t optimize.

For other Android devices:

  1. Go to Settings > App & notifications > Special access > Ignore battery optimization. (You can also use your device’s built-in search function to find this menu.)
  2. Select ExpressVPN. If you don’t see ExpressVPN, make sure you are using the All apps view instead of the Not optimized view.
  3. Select Allow (or the option that ensures ExpressVPN is not optimized). ExpressVPN will now be excluded from battery-saving rules on your device.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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5. Check your firewall, antivirus and anti-spyware program

Your firewall, antivirus, or anti-spyware program may be affecting your connection. To test this, disable these programs, then reconnect to ExpressVPN.

If disabling the programs resolves the issue, you will need to add ExpressVPN as an exception before you enable them again.

Need help? Contact the ExpressVPN Support Team for immediate assistance.

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